This invention relates to transportation mechanisms or structures for beds in general and more specifically to a removable dolly system, apparatus, and method of use which easily provides rotation or pivoting and transportation of a bed. The present art is especially useful with beds which are typically found in hospitals or nursing care facilities and commonly known in the medical and nursing care industries as adjustable height or angle beds, including those known as low or low type beds. An example of some of the art of low beds is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,393 issued to Megown, entitled Height and Angle Adjustable Bed Having a Rolling Base, and is hereby incorporated by reference. The present art uniquely utilizes a pair of structures having castors or rollers which quickly and easily attach or inter-fit at the head and the foot of the aforesaid beds and provide a dolly like transport without the use of extra tools, movers, or jacks. The present art further allows rotation or pivoting of the attached bed whereby the bed may easily and safely fit through doors and navigate hallways during transport.
Many adjustable beds as found within the medical and nursing care arts have supporting legs or arms which retract or fold under the bed whereby the bed may be lowered very close to the floor. Unfortunately, even when the beds have rollers on the supporting legs or arms, it is difficult to transport the beds through doorways and hallways. That is, the width of each bed is often approximately equal to or larger than the size of the doorway through which transport is desired. Within hallways, the aforesaid beds occupy considerable width which inhibits bed transport or creates a safety hazard for nearby pedestrians or patients.
The art of the present invention utilizes the characteristics of adjustable height beds to incorporate a dolly system which significantly eases transport. The present art bed transport and utility dolly connects or removably attaches with the foot and head areas of the adjustable bed when said bed is in a partially or fully raised position and upon retraction of the bed supporting legs or arms, allows the bed to pivot or rotate for easy transportation. That is, the bed pivots on an axis between the foot and head portions while held by the dolly system. When the bed deck is pivoted or rotated approximately 90 degrees from horizontal and the legs or arms are retracted, the transport width is greatly reduced. As aforesaid, the present art bed transport and utility dolly has rotatable bed attachments and base rollers or castors.
Prior art moving apparatuses such as found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,614 issued to O'Rarden represent conventional moving type structures which require extra or additional tools to perform object transportation. The art of O'Rarden is utilized specifically for a piano and only allows jacking and tilting of the piano, not moving. O'Rarden specifically states that another tool, i.e. a dolly, is necessary for movement of the piano. This prior art requirement of extra tools or dollies to move a bed is overcome with the present art as applied to low type beds, i.e. having raising and lowering support arms or legs. As stated, the present art in combination with the unique characteristics of a low type bed, utilizes the unique properties of a low type bed to use a single pair of supports to lift, rotate, and move the bed, i.e. as a single tool. The present art uniquely engages a tube of the low bed without jack assemblies or pads, allows retraction of the bed legs after attachment and before rotation, allows the bed to be rotated upon the present art and thereafter moved through doors and hallways. No jacks are required. Attachment, rotation, movement, re-rotation, and placement are all accomplished without any extra tools. That is, the present art uniquely engages a tube or frame of the bed. Unlike the prior art which simply allows a piano to sit upon rubber mounting pads.
The art of the present invention, in a preferred embodiment, represents a pair of supports, one for the head and one for the foot of the bed. Each support has a frame with two or more base rollers or castors, a swing arm rotatably or pivotally held with said frame via a support shaft, and one or more handles for manipulation. Bed attachments or couplers quickly and easily attach and remove from the bed for convenient transport. In operation, the user simply raises the bed to a height commensurate with the level of said bed attachments or couplers on each support, attaches or engages said bed attachments or couplers to the bed, retracts the bed arms or legs, rotates the bed deck (typically about 90 degrees), and via the base rollers or castors, moves the bed to a desired location. After transport, the user rotates the bed deck to a position substantially planar with the floor, extends the legs or arms whereby said legs or arms support the bed (and possibly raise the bed transport and utility dolly supports), releases the bed attachments and removes the supports from each end of the bed. With the present art, bed transport which previously required two or more persons may be achieved with a single person. The present art provides bed transportation, especially within nursing care, assisted living, or hospital facilities, in a safer, easier, quicker, and more cost effective manner. Although the preferred embodiment is anticipated for height and angle adjustable beds, i.e. low type beds, the present invention in a modified form or utilization method may transport non adjustable beds provided a lifting mechanism is included in conjunction with the bed transport and utility dolly.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bed transport and utility dolly having a pair of rolling supports which attach or engage with the foot and head portions of a bed and provide convenient transportation without the use of any other tools or dollies.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bed transport and utility dolly which easily allows the attached bed to rotate or pivot, thereby minimizing doorway and hallway interference during bed transport.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a bed transport and utility dolly which quickly and easily attaches prior to bed transport and is quick and easily removed thereafter.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a bed transport and utility dolly which allows a single person to easily, quickly, and safely move a bed which typically would require two or more persons.